TQM vs. Six Sigma

988 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Six sigma overview outline

Introduction

In a competitive market place, the ability of companies to gain efficiencies through product or process improvements provides the edge to gain market share and increase profits. The need to improve efficiency led to the study of quality management as a discipline essential for the successful business. “Total Quality Management” is one methodology that has key principles to outline methods to improve quality. “Six Sigma” is another methodology created with the goal to increase efficiency and improve quality. Examination of these two methodologies will show two different approaches and principles used to integrate rigorous quality measurement into a management system.

TQM

Modern quality management can be traced back to the early 1920s, when statistical theory was first applied to product quality control. This concept was further developed in Japan in the 1940s and 1950s, and was led by “quality gurus” such as Deming, Juran and Feigenbaum (Business Performance Improvement Resources). Total quality management is the management of initiatives and procedures aimed at achieving the delivery of quality products and services. There are many different aspects of TQM and a variety of principles included in the TQM process. One of the principles is the involvement of executive management to serve as the main driver to create the environment to ensure success. Another principle is training for employees on the methods and concepts of quality. Customer focus is a third principle to ensure that improvements in quality lead to increased customer satisfaction. A fourth principle focuses on making quality decisions based on measurements. This enables quantification to the quality process. The principle of metho...

... middle of paper ...

...proving the quality of processes and products. The positive aspect of both methods is the desire to internalize the concept of quality within the companies employees and maintain a focus on how to provide a better end product. Each method embraces the concept that there is a cost of poor quality and quality improvement is worth the investment.

Works Cited

Antony, J. (n.d.). Better Management Library. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from BetterManagement.com: http://www.bettermanagement.com/library/library.aspx?l=12450&pagenumber=2

Business Performance Improvement Resources. (n.d.). BPIR.com. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from Total Quality Management: http://www.bpir.com/total-quality-management-bpir.com/menu-id-71.html

Murray, M. (n.d.). Logistics/Supply Chain. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from About.com: http://logistics.about.com/od/qualityinthesupplychain/a/TQM.htm

Show More
Related

  • Analysis of J Sainsbury’s

    7599 Words  | 16 Pages

    ...nagement practices which result in measurable continous quality improvement. It is this ongoing procceess of quality improvement. It is this ongoing process of quality improvement which contribute to changes in production.

    Read More

  • Six Sigma Case Study

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    7) Knowledge Management and Six Sigma: Exploring the Potential of Two Powerful Disciplines, Paige Leavitt

    Read More

  • Lean Methodology And Six Sigma

    1346 Words  | 3 Pages

    Abstract—Lean is to eliminate or reduce waste or non – value adding activities and Six Sigma is to continuous quality improvement within the construction processes. This paper describes the combination of Lean methodology and Six Sigma approach as a quality initiative and waste elimination that may be applied to various construction industries. A quantitative study based approach will be adopted in order to identify and understand the attributes affecting the quality and causing waste within the construction processes. The data collected will be quantified using SPSS (Statistical Package for social science). Thereby providing necessary improvements and control measures. In this paper application of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and

    Read More

  • Care Delivery and Therapeutic Interventions

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    Methods for quality improvement offer numerous benefits and there are many models to use for quality improvement. These models and features have traits in the up to date version of total quality management practise models and are of numerous benefits, with the likes of six sigma and kaizen model using these traits (Royal Charter, 2011)

    Read More

  • Six Sigma And Total Quality Management

    3312 Words  | 7 Pages

    Six Sigma is a system used both in manufacturing and service organizations to maximize business success by minimizing defects and process variability (Krajewski, 2013). While Six Sigma relies heavily on the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM), it has a different focus. It is driven by a close understanding of customer needs; the disciplined use of facts, data and statistical analysis, and diligent attention to managing, improving and reinventing business processes. Six Sigma focuses on reducing variation in processes as well as centering processes on their target measures of performance. Either flaw, too much variation or an off-target process, degrades performance of the process. Six Sigma is a rigorous approach to align processes with their target performance measures with low variability.

    Read More

  • Six Sigma Case Study

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Six Sigma approach was designed by Motorola in 1986. The primary objective of the concept was to develop a tool for tallying the process defects and, as the result, improving business operations. The foundations of the approach are the customer needs, statistical analysis of data and facts, and timely execution. The method promises numerous benefits such as increasing performance and profitability of an organization, improving product or service quality and employee morale, decreasing costs, the growth of market share, the higher level of satisfying customer needs, etc. (Meredith & Shafer, 2013). The primary advantage

    Read More

  • Case Report - Longxi Machinery (China)

    1526 Words  | 4 Pages

    Secondly, from years of quality control practice the firm established a well-know quality control procedure, "the Method". It has great value to the company in that it includes detail best practices for the production procedures which guarantees and improves the quality of the products. It serves as an efficient decision measure tool and a great training material.

    Read More

  • Six Sigma Analysis

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    Six sigma is an important tool applied by organizations towards making improvement strategies. Six sigma implementation in SMEs is challenging because of production volumes, size, the degree of employee training, and resources which are normally smaller compared to bigger organizations (Pedro, Garrido vega et al. 8). There are some key factors and obstacles though that influences the implementation of six sigma towards the success of an organization in total quality improvement. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) experience reduced production volumes, increased customization in products, and gradual changes in products among others which fail to present the repetitive nature upon

    Read More

  • Performance Management System Summary

    3074 Words  | 7 Pages

    Chicago. USA. Performance Management - Meaning, System and Process. (n.d.).

    Read More

  • Managers Guide to Performance Management

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bacal, Robert. Manager's Guide to Performance Management. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.

    Read More

  • A Critical Analysis Of Samsung's Total Quality Management

    1269 Words  | 3 Pages

    Total Quality Management is a management philosophy driven by customer needs and expectations. TQM focuses on quality and builds a management method based on full employee involvement. Its aim is to achieve long-term successful management through long-term customer

    Read More

  • Total Quality Management (TQM) Challenges in Implementation

    589 Words  | 2 Pages

    Improvement in the quality is a continuous process; by discontinuing the continuity will shatter the business competitiveness in the market. Generally, six sigma, lean and Kaizen are being used for continuous improvement by the companies. But in case of manufacturing companies, they need to be more calculative and carful in the continuous improvement is essential but the company should be cautious in not investing in destructive research. It is not possible for implementing the TQM in all process (Ashkenas, 2013).

    Read More

  • The Importance of Product Quality

    2698 Words  | 6 Pages

    Also in this method the workers on a piece rate so they got paid for what they made. In this method every one is responsible for the quality control. Instead of checking at the end of production, it is checked as the products are made at regular intervals. This means that the quality control is done in such a way that every one is involved.

    Read More

  • Quality Management System

    1811 Words  | 4 Pages

    Quality is a word which has been used for a very long time, lots of books have been written about it, and many of the world's scientists have defined it in many different ways. In this research paper, I will emphasise the Quality Management System, why is it important? What is it used for? What is the importance of having a Quality Management System? Many people think implementing QMS costs a lot and all the benefit is a piece of paper which says that your company is certified in having QMS.

    Read More

  • Implementing Total Quality Management (TQM)

    3222 Words  | 7 Pages

    Even though Total Quality Management (TQM) has been replaced by other quality methodologies in many cases, organizations that have taken the long arduous journey to properly implement TQM benefited from it immensely [1]. While TQM may be perceived by many employees as just another passing fad that will soon fall by the wayside, the environmental conditions that exist within the organization will determine if TQM can be successfully implemented and take root. What is Total Quality Management (TQM)? TQM is a system of continuous improvement of work processes to enhance the organization’s ability to deliver high-quality products or services in a cost-effective manner [2].

    Read More

More about TQM vs. Six Sigma

Open Document